Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

  Loki and Roy   I stood on the sidewalk outside Tamp and Grind Coffee, waiting for our weekly homeless Bible study to begin. That’s when I saw Roy. His face was a mask of pain, and his puffy eyes were ample testimony that he’d been crying. Roy’s countenance and body language weren’t contortions of physical pain. It was pure …

  I can’ t get this poem off my mind. My life has been a succession of travel on the road less traveled. This New England poem takes me back to Africa. The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood …

This is a story from my first book, Stories from the Creekbank. It concerns a famous person from Galveston, Texas. The plaque mentioned is at sidewalk level atop the sea wall. A Good Epitaph to Have     Have you ever thought about what epitaph you’d like to have? Recently as I walked Galveston’s seawall, I read a plaque: In …

  VIEW   Join Curt as he reads this story on the Creekbank YouTube Channel:   @curtiles56 LISTEN  Listen to the Creekbank  Audio Podcast or at  Spotify: Curt Iles/Creekbank Stories   My Dad was a remarkable man in many ways. He had a deep, unshakable faith that he shares so well in the following treatise. Please feel free to pass this …

“He went through life oiling squeaky doors.” -A good epitaph to have: He made things better wherever he went. May the same be said of us. He carried an oil can. We can do the same with a small can of WD-40. Most importantly, we can go around helping others daily, lightening their load, and encouraging them in tough times. …

“Oh God of second chances, here I am again.” I’m glad God gives second chances (or more). We all need a mulligan at some time in our lives. And He is a God of forgiveness and restoration. A God of second chances.   Don’t believe me?   Take a trip with a world traveler named Jonah. He made the most …

Hope is Mandatory You can’t live without it. If you have hope, you can face anything. Without hope, life is difficult and tedious. Have hope. Keep hope . . . Because hope is mandatory.

How to tell a panhandler from a truly homeless person. Living in the city has been an education for me. Homelessness has always bothered me, but I’ve never been able to get my hands around the presence and problems of homelessness. This led me to become involved in the homeless ministry in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana. I’ve also learned to differentiate …

I looked up at the full moon as it rose last night. “Boy, you’ve had a busy April. First, you totally blacked our closest star, the Sun, during that Total Solar Eclipse on April 8th. You were in the new moon phase but helped put on a show for the ages. “Now, here you are as a full moon showing …

“Jessica” Allman Brothers’ guitarist Dickie Betts died last week at 80. His songs, especially ‘Jessica,” have always been my favorite ABB cuts, and he will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’ve listened to the Allman’s since 1972 and still circle back to them several times a year. “Jessica” is an instrumental written for his baby daughter Jessica. …

“Help Needed On Aisle Three”   “Son, there’s only one thing you need to know if you’re going to marry my daughter . . . ” My cousin Mark Roy died suddenly last week.  I am saddened by Mark’s death and am praying for Debbie, their three daughters, and Mark’s mom, Aunt Florence Roy. If there’s one word to describe …

    Bro. Hodges’ Best Sermon The preacher stood in the middle of the muddy red clay road, staring at the problem straight ahead.   It was a long way from his pulpit, so he had no idea he would preach “his best sermon” right here in a few minutes. This preacher standing in the middle of the road was Kenneth …

She smiled at me, and I was changed. Thursday, April 18, 2024    Atrium Oschner’s Hospital  New Orleans, Louisiana   I saw the lady as she passed my table in the busy atrium of Oschner’s Hospital. She was walking briskly, and I immediately saw she had no arms, only nubs that ended past her shoulders. Then I noticed something else. …

First Snake of the Year   Tuesday, April 16, 2024 It’s mid-April, and the snakes are crawling out of their winter homes.  The warmer nights are the impetus for them to stick their heads above ground. I’ve spent the winter months not worrying about where I walk or put my hands. But that is changing. I’m waiting to see my …